Deputies: Polk man tried to have wife killed

Vincent Madhavath

Tribune staff

Published: August 6, 2014

A Winter Haven man was arrested today for trying to hire someone to kill his wife, officials said.

Vincent Abraham Madhavath, 43, was charged with one count of solicitation to commit murder and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He was booked today into the Polk County Jail.

State and local officials began the investigation after receiving information that Madhavath was looking for someone to kill someone for his friend.

During the two-month investigation, an undercover Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent met with Madhavath on three different occasions. Madhavath told the undercover agent that he was looking for someone to kill a woman.

Eventually, he told the undercover agent that it was his wife he wanted killed, FDLE said. Madhavath offered $15,000 for the murder, FDLE said.

Today, Madhavath met with the undercover agent in Fort Meade and gave the agent $5,000 as a down payment for the murder of his wife, FDLE said.

They then discussed that the agent would stage a home invasion, physically assault Madhavath and then kill her, FDLE said.

When Madhavath left the meeting with the agent, he was arrested by FDLE agents and Polk County deputies.

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